The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-10-28

WAS cold his strange visitor was dead.
CHAPTER II.
'Let me pass, l say, let me pass, If you
wont give me anything"
The speaker, a pretty, but shabbily
dressed girl, who was standing at the bar
of the shAnty, struck down the hand Of
the man who had attempted 10 bar her
progress.
Martha, my girl, best 90 home" was
the threatening answer. Il tell Won Il IN
sick oi yer tcmpcrs. And what's more,
IN of 10 the other town tomorrow, 80
You must shift for ycrscli-"
lie loun-cd away from the bar, fol-
lowed 10y ms companions, leaving the
girl alone. For an instant, 4 sUllen look
dIS.i-urcI the wan features which hal
lost their once innocent beauty, and
then, wrappin" her faded shawl round
her, she CrcPt AWAY, the t-aTs running
down her checks Is she went. During
the brief alteration and its subsequent
end, a man, standing just outside the
shanty, hal been liStenin. attculively.
As the forlnrn figure went its way, lac
turne | 10 the owner of the bar.
Who's that ,"
Her" WAS the contemptHous answer,
with glance III that direction. wal,
she 5 just come with that beauty you saw
% ont Amt been here = week, and
they say that he leads her = dogs life.
lie means 10 give her the slip"
she amt his wife, then 30
"DOn't know was the careless an
swsr- Il guess I'll have ter 70 now
The man moved away II au inner
room, AMI Jack IIchly- for it WAS he
lett the bar and made his WAY after the
girl. lie had not gone very fir when he
sIw 4 bundle, as it were, at the foot ol Il
tree, and h" went slowly up TO il. Look
here. The bundle sat upright, and the
sUllcn face raised itself.
what du ycw want >" There was
suspicion in the wet eyes rs the girl r.
Uu"ni~ei that the man bcfOrt her Wa the
Worst Man OF JIold Ledge" Tie drunk
ard loukrd down with \ dark irown: Ia.
ha.! raj pslc dislike III her tone, and hc
paused To- consider ii, at the eleventh
hour, he should fulfil his trust. Only =
moment; then, puliiUs forth = dirty
piece OF paper, ne opened it and let the
PRINT II contained drop into the girls lap.
She took II curiuu>ly; but aS her ewes
icll on II, = cry broke from her lips.
Where did yer get this" " She ex-
claimed.
"Yer father gave it me-"
Ny father gave 1t yOn ~ she repeated
in amazcmcnt. why, where Is lac -
The mingled lear and sorrow in her
voice did not quicken the mans speech.
He looked up AMI down the gully. as
though hc WAS searching Tor an. insp.ra-
ton.
"Wcll p" said the girl impaticntIy-.
~ or fathers dc4i, waS the slow an
swcr- "ilc came ter look ar;rr vcN. ami
lac was IN, AMI died, the night a.. lost his
way, IN my -hanty- And he sail a. how
VS. - give yer fifty pound - hc lett
behind"
During his speech the girl hal sat up
night, and waS surveying JACK with ever
increasing wonder. But when Ia. had
finished 10y giving her fathers last ui,.~-
s.Ixc 10 her, sh.. covered her lace with her
E.ln'ls and burst into tears.
He for-avc me - she sail at last.
with wistiul look on the tc.lr-dimmcI
face.
Yes he lest forSavc yer straight OF:
and now, ii yer VIII take Uor- from
me, th- best thing aS Yer can do is ter
take the money an ~ AWAY, and live
lie pausci. The idea OF his telling
any one 10 live respectfully was prcpas-
ferrous.
Wal" he said, I'm going now. If
you like, u give the money 10 view this
evening, and l daresay as Tom, who's
making tracks 10 Pine Town, 'ull give
yer a hit
Then, without waiting for the burst OF
thanks that he knew Was coming. he
turned To 60 home. Not before. Ie caught
The sDbJ.Hg words, And you're the
" ors, Man OF cold Lodge -
The next day Martha LETT for the near
est town, and after some little dvlsv sue
Ce.!ei In getting 4 place - servant in
njl.Crs family. But at Gold Ledge
things went on - usual, and no one knew
the secret influence which had rendered
Jack ilcnly proof against one OF the sor-
e. temptations that coull bciail him
lie drank, swOrc, and ioUght - usual
but somehow men said, ne was losing his
nerve. an that he WAS nOt 50 eager inr
= quarrel. Perhaps they would have
wondered greatly II they could have seen
thEt scene enacted in the old shanty.
whCro both go!l and life had been
placed within his reach, and he had
fLilcI 10 take either, bouud by the Inag,i..
oI that simple trrist of a diving stranger.
Eut Martha never forgot how he had
come To her in her despair And later
on, ~ hc lay dying, hurt in a drunken
fray, Martha went to see him, and when,
the last struggle over, the Worst Man of
Gold Lodge lay in his grave, 4 rough
cross marked the spot where hc lay, with
the words carved on it,
JACK HENLY-
Aged 80.